Chapter IV 



THE TILLAGE OF THE SOIL 



1. What Tillage Is 



84. We have found (52, 79) that tillage is 

 one of the means of improving the physical con- 

 dition of the soil. By tillage is meant the stir- 

 ring of the soil for the purpose of facilitating 

 the growth of plants. 



85. We may divide tillage into two general 

 kinds, — tillage which covers the entire ground, 

 and tillage which covers only that part of the 

 ground which lies between the plants. The 

 former we may call open or general tillage, and 

 the latter inter- tillage. We practice open tillage 

 before the seed is sown : it • therefore prepares 

 the land for the crop. We practice inter-tillage 

 in fruit j^lantations and between the rows of 

 crops : it therefore maintains the condition of 

 the soil. 



86. We may also speak of tillage as deep or 

 shallow. In a general way, tillage is deep when 

 it extends more than six inches into the ground. 

 We also speak of surface tillage, when the 



(64) 



